Top 10 Wins of Dan Henderson’s Career

10. Carlos Newton (UFC 17: Redemption – May 17, 1998)

Beating Newton wasn’t Henderson’s first win in the Octagon but occurred on the same night. As fans undoubtedly remember, the UFC used to feature one-night tournaments. Henderson’s Split Decision over Newton came after outpointing Allan Goes in a semifinal scrap. Though the performance wasn’t necessarily pretty it still gave testament to how tough Henderson was, plus Newton was no joke at the time. Also notable, UFC 17 was an important event in itself, as it marked the first time the sport was referred to as “Mixed Martial Arts” and the initials UFC came into play in advertising rather than “Ultimate Fighting Championship”.

9. Rich Franklin (UFC 93 – January 17, 2009)

Henderson’s fight with Franklin doesn’t necessarily stand out as being particularly memorable but it still deserves some distinction as his first major victory in the Octagon. Their match-up was more of a matter of both being supremely skilled rather than any lack of aggression, leading to a stalemate of sorts. Strikes were exchanged, shots were landed, but neither ever got a true advantage. In the end, Henderson came away with a narrow decision nod, and the MMA world moved on in approval.

8. Renato Sobral (King of Kings 1999 Final – February 26, 2000)

There was a period of time where Sobral was considered to be one of the best 205ers in MMA. When he ran into Henderson, “Babalu” was 12-0 and no doubt the favorite. However, Henderson can never be counted out of a clash, and he was able to overcome the adversity to beat Sobral by Majority Decision. Even more impressive, the triumph came after defeating Gilbert Yvel and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira earlier in the evening!

7. Vitor Belfort (PRIDE 32: The Real Deal – October 21, 2006)

Though Henderson may be mixing it up with Belfort tonight at UFC Fight Night 32, the two have crossed paths before under the PRIDE banner. In truth, it wasn’t a classic but rather a somewhat sloppy scrap seeing Henderson emerge with his hand raised due to a decision. That being said, Henderson’s chin came through again despite Belfort’s best attempts to land powerful shots, and it should also be pointed out “The Phenom” tested positive for PEDs after the outing. Beating Belfort is impressive in itself – beating a juiced up Belfort is on another level entirely.

Cavalcante will have a chance to shine at UFC Fight Night 32 similarly to his efforts in Strikeforce where he held gold. Of course, “Feijao” lost the belt when he battled Henderson who caught him midway through their match-up and laid claim to the gold. However, Henderson never actually defended the belt, moving on to the UFC after a follow-up fight at heavyweight.

5. Wanderlei Silva (PRIDE 33: Second Coming – February 24, 2007)

Back in 2000, Henderson made his PRIDE debut against Silva and lost a decision to the fierce Brazilian. His chance at vengeance came seven years later and resulted in a resounding victory for the former Olympic wrestler. During the duel, “Hendo” landed one of his trademark “H-Bombs” and sent Silva down to the canvas. The victory won him the promotion’s middleweight belt and was his last appearance in PRIDE before the company folded and was purchased by Zuffa.

Nogueira is one of the top heavyweights to ever take to the ring, possessing an enormous amount of heart, some slick boxing skills, and a next-level ground-game. Though Henderson is fairly far South of being a legitimate heavyweight, he’s never backed down from a challenge even when the odds were against him. That was never more true than in 2000 when he competed in a single-night tournament involving three tilts. Along the way to winning things Henderson beat a prime Nogueira, resulting in as fine a feather as can be flown in one’s career-oriented cap.

3. Michael Bisping (UFC 100 - July 11, 2009)

If there’s one knockout fans remember from Henderson’s multiple mashings it’s unquestionably his finish of Bisping back in 2009. The clash came after opposing one another as TUF coaches. During the attached season Bisping rubbed Henderson the wrong way, though the soft-spoken Californian never really spoke up about it. Instead, he made his statement at UFC 100 when he caught Bisping circling the wrong direction and drilled him. The blow sent Bisping to the canvas like a ton of bricks and countless PhotoShoppers rejoiced!

2. Mauricio Rua (UFC 139 – November 19, 2011)

Henderson’s showdown with “Shogun” is a fight every MMA fan should see at least once. It was bloody, brutal, and downright beautiful. Each man came close to finishing the other and both had to dig exceptionally deep to survive until the end. Henderson left the Octagon with a triumph in tow, but everyone in attendance and watching on television felt like a winner after witnessing a true classic between two of the top fighters to ever grace the ring.

Of all the amazing wins in Henderson’s career it’s easy to say his TKO of Emelianenko stands out as the most jaw-dropping example of the legend’s in-ring ability. For years Emelianenko was labeled as the greatest heavyweight of all time. Though his reputation had been tarnished some by losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva prior to the pairing, beating the stoic Russian was still seen as being almost an insurmountable task for the smaller Henderson. When the smoke cleared, Henderson’s power came through once again, hurting Emelianenko to the point the referee felt “The Last Emperor” was no longer defending himself and called for the bell.

UFC light heavyweight Dan Henderson is as iconic as competitors come in Mixed Martial Arts. From his facial features to fighting style, “Hendo” is instantly recognizable and holds a place among the all-time greats as a man who has found consistent success for more than 15 years including titles in multiple organizations. In fact, while these countdowns tend to feature a Top 5 format, the 43-year old Henderson’s run in the ring has been so impressive he’s merited an extra five slots. (Photos by USA Today Sports Images)

Even though he’s never held UFC gold Hendo by far is the greatest American MMA fighter ever….The list of whos who in wins and losses is astounding…..No one comes close.
I hope he beats Vitor tonight….Really would like to see him make one more solid run at a title shot. With this guy anything is possible. Can’t ever count him out.

Hendo is a stud, and I definitely agree he held the torch as greatest American MMA fighter… but I think you have to say JBJ has passed him up at this point. Jones has 7 straight wins in title fights, beating guys like Shogun, Rampage, Machida, Rashad, Vitor & Gustafsson.

But it’s a damn shame we didn’t get to see Hendo fight JBJ earlier this year as should have been the case. Instead of getting what would have been a true passing of the torch moment (had JBJ won) or Hendo cementing his status as greatest American MMA’er… we got two completely shitty fights in JBJ/Chael and Hendo/Machida. But hey, it gave TUF ratings a temporary jolt.